Classroom Resources: Chemistry Basics

26 – 49 of 49 Classroom Resources

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  Separating Mixtures, Physical Properties, Observations, Matter, Introduction, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Activity: Sandbox!

  In this activity the students will separate a mixture and classify objects by their physical properties.

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  Physical Properties, Density, Observations, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Activity: Discovery Tubes

  This is a fun, visual activity for young students. It allows for understanding of fundamental chemistry topics, including mixtures, miscibility, density and viscosity while analyzing a handheld colorful toy.

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  Density, Physical Properties, Introduction, Observations, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Lesson Plan: What is Density

  In this two-part lesson, students will learn about density through a teacher-led demonstration and a hands-on activity. The demonstration will give students the opportunity to observe the formation of a density tower made from common drinks. Students will then create their own density tower using simple ingredients, and then further investigate differences in density when solid objects are added to the tower.

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  Density, Observations, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Balancing Equations, Chemical Change, Mixtures, Physical Change | High School

  Lab: The Lovely Lava Lamp

  In this lab, students add food coloring to a mixture of oil and water and record their observations. They then add an Alka-Seltzer tablet, record their observations and answer a series of questions about the chemical and physical changes that took place.

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  Chemical Change, Physical Change, Separating Mixtures, Observations, Mixtures, Chemical Properties, Physical Properties, Experimental Design, Scientific Method | High School, Middle School

  Lab: Test Tube Separation

  In this lab, students will mix four substances in a test tube and recreate the original four layers through chemical and physical means.

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  Observations, Separating Mixtures, Mixtures, Interdisciplinary, Physical Properties, Scientific Method | High School, Middle School

  Activity: How Do We Clean Up An Oil Spill

  In this activity, students simulate an oil spill and test different materials’ ability to “clean” the oil spill.

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  Solubility, Intermolecular Forces, Intermolecular Forces, Mixtures, Intramolecular Forces, Polarity, Observations, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Identifying an Unknown, Mixtures | High School

  Lab: Solubility & Compound Type

  In this lesson, students determine whether unknown substances are polar, nonpolar, or ionic by testing their solubilities.

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  Separating Mixtures, Physical Change, Mixtures, Physical Properties, Experimental Design, Scientific Method, Error Analysis | High School, Middle School

  Lab: Separation of a Mixture

  In this lab, students devise their own method to separate a mixture of sand, salt, poppy seeds, and iron filings.

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  Intermolecular Forces, Mixtures, Intermolecular Forces, Colligative Properties, Freezing Point Depression, Solubility, Polarity, Phase Changes, Freezing Point, Density, Mixtures, Physical Properties | High School

  Lesson Plan: Fuel Line Antifreeze

  In this lesson students will explore the role of a gasoline additive, fuel line antifreeze (generally methanol or 2‑propanol), in reducing the potential of water to block fuel lines in freezing weather. Students will prepare test tube models of water-contaminated fuel tanks and explore the effect of adding different types of fuel line antifreeze. This lesson can be used to bolster concepts about miscibility, density, intermolecular forces, phase changes (freezing), and colligative properties (freezing point depression).

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  Polarity, Mixtures, Intermolecular Forces, Intermolecular Forces, Physical Properties, Observations, Mixtures | Middle School, Elementary School, High School

  Lab: Salad Dressing Science: Emulsions

  In this lab, students mix polar and nonpolar substances and then add various emulsifiers to encourage the mixing of the two substances. They use ingredients in salad dressing to relate science to real life scenarios.

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  Physical Change, Distillation, Separating Mixtures, Mixtures, Conservation of Matter, Boiling Point, Phase Changes | High School

  Lab: Distillation of Common Soft Drinks

  In this lab, students will see the distillation procedure using a common soft drink and a simple equipment setup.

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  Polymers, Scientific Method, Physical Properties, Mixtures | Elementary School, Middle School

  Lab: Polymer Investigation

  In this lab, students will follow the procedure for creating a polymer, flubber, which will be similar in consistency to Silly Putty. Students will then design an experiment to test a physical property of the flubber that they have created using the scientific method.

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  Separating Mixtures, Observations, Physical Change, Mixtures, Physical Properties | High School

  Lab: Distillation

  In this lab, students complete a simple distillation lab separating water from cinnamon and food coloring.

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  Physical Change, Physical Properties, Review, Mixtures, Separating Mixtures, Distillation, Sublimation, Phase Changes, Boiling Point, Gas Laws, Temperature, Volume, Pressure | High School

  Activity: Physical Properties

  In this activity, students will play a game to review topics relating to physical properties of matter, including mixtures, states of matter, and gas laws. They will be prompted with questions in a PowerPoint and they will use white boards to communicate their answers.

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  Intermolecular Forces, Solubility, Intermolecular Forces, Intramolecular Forces, Polarity, Lewis Structures, Molecular Structure, Solute & Solvent, Mixtures, Melting Point, Freezing Point, Boiling Point, Physical Properties, Graphing, Mixtures | High School

  Lab: Physical Properties (High School)

  In this lesson, students investigate how intermolecular forces effect physical properties by investigating substances’ melting points as well as solubility.

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  Observations, Mixtures, Density, Physical Properties, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Activity: Color-Works in a Jar

  Students will be using three ingredients to create a liquid color-works mixture in a jar. This is a fun chemistry project to do with young elementary students around the 4th of July or New Year’s Eve to get the children excited about fireworks.

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  Separating Mixtures, Interdisciplinary, Separating Mixtures, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Mixtures, Mixtures | Middle School

  Lab: Candy and Leaf Chromatography

  In this lab, students will learn that mixtures are created by the combination of two or more substances. Many colors are actually mixtures of several different pigments. Mixtures can be separated, and in this lab students will perform chromatography to separate mixtures found in candy and in leaves.

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  Mixtures, Physical Properties, Molecular Structure, Mixtures | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: Analyzing Mixtures

  In this demonstration, the teacher will create a sequence of mixtures in a single test tube. Water, oil, food coloring and soap will be used in this demonstration to introduce the concepts of heterogeneous and homogeneous solutions as well as the idea of miscibility. Students will also have the opportunity to analyze the properties, such as surface tension of each component used.

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  Mixtures, Chemical Change, Physical Change, Observations, Density, Acid Base Reactions, Chemical Change, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Lab: Analyzing a Lava Lamp

  In this lab, students create a mixture of oil, water and food coloring, and then add an Alka-Seltzer tablet, to create a homemade lava lamp. Student will record their observations during each step of the process and answer follow-up questions about the chemical and physical changes that took place.

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  Mixtures, Physical Change, Physical Change, Solute & Solvent, Phase Changes, Distillation, Introduction, Separating Mixtures, Interdisciplinary, Mixtures | Elementary School

  Lesson Plan: Now I Can Drink the Water!

  In this lesson, students review important concepts of the water cycle and then design, test, and evaluate a working model of a desalination plant (a distiller).

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  Separating Mixtures, Percent Composition, Mixtures, Interdisciplinary, Measurements | Middle School

  Lab: Metallic Breakfast

  In this lab, students will separate iron filings from iron-fortified breakfast cereals. Students will use the recorded data to conduct percent composition calculations.

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  Physical Change, Mixtures, Observations | High School, Middle School

  Activity: Magic Bubble

  In this lesson, students will create and interpret particle diagrams that represent elements and compounds at the molecular level. They will also describe the process of dissolving and create particle diagrams that represent mixtures at the molecular level.

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  Chemical Change, Observations, Acids & Bases, Chemical Change, Mixtures | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: Inflating a Balloon with Chemistry

  In this demonstration, the teacher will perform a reaction between acetic acid (vinegar) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in order to inflate a balloon and to introduce the concept of a chemical reaction to students. Students will observe the reaction, and identify indicators of chemical change as well as discuss the different types of matter that are involved.

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  Density, Observations, Inferences, Mixtures, Mixtures | Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: Density Tubes

  In this demonstration, students will have the opportunity to observe and analyze the density of a solution. Students will interpret their observations as they compare the density of the solution with plastic components.